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Bandsaws

10-07-2004, 11:05 PM

I am considering purchasing a Bandsaw in the near future. I have narrowed my chioces to the Ridgid BS1400 and the Grizzley G0555 14 inch bandsaws. I know very little about bandsaws and need some advice.
I have read good things about both saws.
Is Grizzley a pro grade brand? I have seen some cheap drills with the Grizzley name on them.
How do you readers like the Ridgid BS1400?
Is the orange band saw the same as the grey cabinet Ridgid bandsaw? Are the motors the same?
I will appreciate any advice you members can give me on these saws or any other bandsaws. My budget is limited,I almost bought a Ryobi bandsaw for $ 230.00 but I decided that I wanted a pro grade bandsaw for a little more money.
The Ridgid sells for $350.00 and the Grizzley goes for $375.00 plus a hefty shipping charge.

Given many of the positive things I've read about the Grizzly and some of the negative opinions of the Ridgid I've seen, the Griz would be my choice. The Griz comes with more standard equipment than the Ridgid and also has a quick blade release system. I don't know whether the Ridgid is or isn't but the Grizzly is manufactured in a ISO 9001 approved factory and that is a very good thing. If resawing is in your future, the availability and expense of the Ridgid riser kit has been and some say is still a problem with Ridgid but that is not the case with Grizzly as far as I know. The Grizzly riser kit sells for around $50 and I've seen figures for the Ridgid from as low as $30 to as high as $150. The Griz does have a $55 freight charge kicker added to its $375 price but you could always take a Saturday drive over to Muncy, PA and pick one up at their store.

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